Method and device for selecting network access to one or more data networks by means of a telecommunication terminal

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a method for selecting network access to one or more data networks by means of a telecommunications terminal. In a first step of said method, network access information, which has been determined by the telecommunications terminal and/or additional telecommunications terminals during network connections established by different network access operations, is analysed. In a second step, network access is selected on the basis of the analysed network access information.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is the US National Stage of International ApplicationNo. PCT/DE2003/003507, filed Oct. 21, 2003 and claims the benefitthereof. The International Application claims the benefits of Germanapplication No. 10249867.9 filed Oct. 25, 2002, both applications areincorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a method and a device for selecting networkaccess to one or more data networks by means of a telecommunicationterminal.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

New generations of communication terminals, in particular mobile radioterminals, PCs or laptops, generally have several different interfacesby which to gain access to different data networks. For example anotebook can have plug-in cards for GSM, wireless LAN and Bluetooth.These plug-in cards make it possible to access mobile radiocommunications networks, fixed networks and the Internet or othercomputers. Meanwhile, a plurality of providers produce both wireless andfixed line connections to the various data networks. These providers aremainly operators of fixed and mobile networks as well as variousproviders of Internet services who provide access to the Internet. Theseproviders make use of different access technologies and differ both interms of quality and with regard to price.

Users of data networks would like to select the appropriate networkaccess for their requirements from the plurality of access providers onoffer. The main factors in making their choice are price, the provider'sservices (e.g. e-mails, video streaming etc.) and the quality of theconnection. Regarding quality, technically measurable parameters aboutthe access provider, such as the data transfer rate, the data delay orthe data loss, are decisive. However, subjective impressions are alsosignificant, for instance the simplicity of the user interface fordialing into the data network. When using the data network to transmitspeech or pictures, the audio or video quality also play an importantrole, as does the reliability of the network access.

Particularly in the case of mobile communication terminals, users arefaced with the problem that wherever they happen to be they wish to usethe optimum access service for their purposes. Ordinarily, users mustmake inquiries with different network providers or other end users.However, since users do not always have the time or the opportunity toinquire from other users or network providers, it is often difficult toselect the optimum network access. Moreover, network providers veryoften measure their transmission quality internally, but do not releasethe data to end users. Furthermore this data is often not gatheredaccording to objective criteria, and is therefore not so meaningful forusers.

At the same time there are also centrally managed databases in whichprofiles of different network providers are stored. However, for themost part these databases do not include statements about the quality ofthe network access services. End users also have the option to accessmeasurements and tests reported in the press (e.g. by consumerorganizations or consumer magazines) as well as rating systems such asnetwork assessments published on the Internet. It takes quite a longtime to find out the optimum network access in this way and in manycases the assessments are not up-to-date.

From a document [1] a device and method for selecting network accessesin a telecommunication terminal are known. In said device and method allavailable network interfaces and network access providers are recorded.On the basis of the recorded data an optimum network access is selectedby means of a selection device, in the course of which it is alsopossible to take account of criteria concerning price and network accessquality. In order to select the network access, connections to theindividual network providers are first of all set up so as to obtaininformation about the quality of each network access.

A document [2] discloses a method and a device for dynamically finding anetwork path in a computer-based network. In this case the datatransmission costs of potential network paths are determined in responseto a user request and the most cost-effective path is selected fromthese paths.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is to improve the first-mentioned method inorder to make selecting the network access that is optimum for the useran objective and simple process.

This object is achieved according to the features of the independentclaims. Further embodiments of the invention emerge from the dependentclaims.

The inventive method for selecting network access to one or more datanetworks by means of a telecommunication terminal involves a first stepin which network access information, which has been determined by thetelecommunication terminal and/or additional telecommunication terminalsduring network connections established by different network accessoperations, is analyzed. In a second step, network access is thenselected on the basis of the analyzed network access information. Incontrast to document [1] therefore, it is unnecessary to establish aconnection to the various network access providers in order to select asuitable network access, but recourse is available to network accessinformation that has already been recorded. Since the said networkaccess information has been determined by the telecommunicationterminal-itself or by additional telecommunication terminals, theinformation has been determined objectively without having to fall backon the mostly unreliable information from network access providers.

The selection procedure of the method according to the inventionpreferably includes selecting one or more network access providers, suchas a mobile radio communications network operator to enable thetelecommunication terminal to connect to an Internet access node, and anInternet service provider to establish the connection from the accessnode to the Internet. The selection procedure preferably also includesthe network interface in the telecommunication terminal, which is neededin order to establish a connection to the providers. The selection thentakes into account not only the network access provider, but also thenetwork interfaces available in the telecommunication terminal. Thisensures that when a network access provider is selected, the appropriateinterface for establishing the connection is also available in thetelecommunication terminal.

The network access information includes in particular informationconcerning the quality of the network accesses and/or the costs incurredfor network connections via the said network accesses. The criteria fornetwork access quality are in particular the services available fromsaid network accesses and/or the connection quality of the said networkaccesses. The connection quality information relates in particular toinformation about the frequency of cut-outs and interruptions, and/orbandwidths, and/or data losses, and/or data delays, during networkconnections via the said network accesses.

A preferred embodiment of the inventive method uses adjustableparameters to analyze the network access information. In this embodimentthe adjustable parameters are preferably user-specific requirementsregarding network access quality, for example the desired datatransmission rate or the desired availability of services such ase-mail, the permitted homepage size and the like. However, it is alsopossible to take into account parameters which are dependent on the userapplication. For example in the case of a video application theparameters may be set in order to guarantee a high data transmissionrate that is free from delay.

The parameters can also include information regarding the location ofthe telecommunication terminal. This function is particularly importantfor mobile telecommunication terminals, since the analysis of thenetwork access information can also take into account whether a networkaccess service is available at all in the locality of thetelecommunication terminal. The location of the telecommunicationterminal is preferably determined automatically, for example via GPS.The location can however also be entered manually by the user. Anotheroption is to inquire from a network access provider, assuming saidnetwork access provider has a service for determining the location ofthe telecommunication terminal.

A further preferred embodiment of the invention analyzes only networkaccess information which has been determined by the telecommunicationterminal and/or additional telecommunication terminals in a predefinedarea surrounding the location of the telecommunication terminal. Saidembodiment preselects the network access information, ignoring lessrelevant information from telecommunication terminals in distantlocations. In this way the relevant network access information can beanalyzed more quickly.

In a further embodiment, the network access information determined inthe telecommunication terminals is also made available to the networkaccess providers so that said providers have the opportunity to improvetheir services on the basis of the information provided. The informationcan also be made available to network service providers who only provideservices in the network without providing access to the network itself,such as e-mail service providers.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the network accessinformation is updated at regular intervals to keep all of the recordednetwork access information up-to-date at all times. In a furtherembodiment, the network access information can also be accompanied byuser-specific comments.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the network access informationis stored on a central computer. The information can however also bestored on a decentralized basis in the telecommunication terminal or theadditional telecommunication terminals.

Furthermore in an especially preferred embodiment, the demands upon thetelecommunication terminal location that is needed for the selectednetwork access are determined with the aid of the selected networkaccess. This is particularly advantageous in the case of mobiletelecommunication terminals, since in appropriate cases a user finds outby this means that it is necessary to go to a different location inorder to dial into the optimum network access. In an especiallypreferred embodiment, a navigation system informs the user how to getfrom the present location to the location needed for the selectednetwork access.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the telecommunicationterminal is connected to the additional telecommunication terminals inorder to exchange data. This connection for exchanging data ispreferably direct, i.e. the data connection takes place withoutintermediate circuits via further devices, in particular via wirelessLAN and/or via an ad hoc network and/or via Bluetooth interfaces and/orinfrared interfaces. In this case the selected network access can be anetwork access which takes place via one of the additionaltelecommunication terminals and in which data from the selected networkaccess can be transmitted to the telecommunication terminal via the dataexchange connection. The telecommunication terminals are preferablymobile radio terminals and/or computers.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the network accessinformation that is determined is preferably based on passivemeasurements in the telecommunication terminal and/or the additionaltelecommunication terminals. The term passive measurement means in thiscase a measurement carried out exclusively on the telecommunicationterminal and/or the additional telecommunication terminals, i.e. noother computers, and especially no servers of the network accessprovider, are involved in the measurement. Consequently there is norequirement for measurement software to be brought into the datanetwork.

In addition to the method described above, the invention also relates toa device for selecting network access to one or more data networks bymeans of a telecommunication terminal, this device being capable ofexecuting the inventive method described above. For this purpose thedevice preferably possesses means for analyzing network accessinformation which has been determined by the telecommunication terminaland/or additional telecommunication terminals during network connectionsvia different network accesses, as well as means for selecting a networkaccess on the basis of the analyzed network access information.Preferably in this case the device is integrated in a telecommunicationterminal.

Typical embodiments of the invention will now be presented and explainedin greater detail with the aid of the drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The FIGURE shows a diagram of a device for executing an embodiment ofthe method to which the invention relates.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The FIGURE shows an inventive device for selecting network access todata networks by means of a telecommunication terminal such as a mobiletelephone. The components of the device are shown in the FIGURE and arepreferably all integrated in a single telecommunication terminal.However it is also possible for individual components to be implementedin a central computer or in additional telecommunication terminals.

The components I1 to IN shown in the diagram represent networkinterfaces of the telecommunication terminal. The interfaces are managedby an operating system OS. This operating system also manages all thecomponents of the inventive device, which are described below. Data Dfrom a data network travels via the interfaces I1 to IN to anapplication A which is implemented in the telecommunication terminal andwhich processes this data. The data is also forwarded to a monitormodule MM in which the quality of the current network connection betweenthe telecommunication terminal and the corresponding access server or anadditional telecommunication terminal is recorded and processed forstorage in a further module RR. The processing is carried out in orderto link the recorded data with data from a localizing module LM.

The localizing module determines the present geographic location of thetelecommunication terminal. The location is determined eitherautomatically, for instance with the aid of the GPS global positioningsystem, or from the location information which the user of the terminalenters manually. The location can also be determined by means of aninquiry to the provider of the current data network connection.

The linked data in the module MM is stored in a reputation repositorymodule RR. This module therefore holds the quality recorded for thecurrent network connection. Said module also holds information regardingthe quality of earlier network connections to the same or differentnetwork access providers.

The module RR is thus a database, which the telecommunication terminalhas created, containing information on the quality of earlier networkaccesses. It is therefore no longer necessary to rely on informationfrom a network access provider, which in most cases is neither impartialnor reliable.

The module RR is connected to a connection analysis module VAM, which inturn contains application-specific information from the application A.The said module VAM analyzes the information from the module RR with theaid of parameters which may be dependent on the application A and/or maybe user-defined. The parameters which the module VAM uses may includefor instance the data quality or data transmission rate desired by, theuser.

However, the module VAM accesses other data besides that held in themodule RR. Information about the quality of network accesses via othertelecommunication terminals can also be included in the analysis. Forthis purpose the module VAM is connected to the reputation informationclient module RIC, which directs inquiries to additionaltelecommunication terminals regarding the network access informationthat the said devices have recorded.

The module RIC is also coupled to the module RR, as shown by the brokenline in the FIGURE. Since the module RR also contains information aboutthe location of the telecommunication terminal, the link between themodules RIC and RR also enables a selection to be made between thetelecommunication terminals to be questioned by the RIC with regard totheir locations. In particular it is possible to question onlytelecommunication terminals which are located in a defined area aroundthe telecommunication terminal making the inquiry. This is particularlyadvantageous for mobile radio communications networks, since in thiscase only information about the connection quality in the surroundingarea is of interest to the user.

A further module, the reputation information service module RIS, enablesother telecommunication terminals also to access the data stored in themodule RR. The module RIS is likewise in contact with the module RR andhandles inquiries via the network interfaces I1 to IN from othertelecommunication terminals about the information held in the RR.

The analysis module VAM is also in contact with a connection managementmodule VMM. This module uses the data analyzed in the module VAM todecide which network access to select for the connection to the datanetwork. During this process all potential combinations of the possiblephysical interfaces I1 to IN and the available network access providersare determined; this information is then used to determine the networkaccess which is optimum for the user with particular regard to theconnection quality and the connection charge. The module VMM can alsoprovide information about measures which may be required in order toguarantee the optimum network access. In particular the user of a mobileradio communication terminal can be advised to proceed to a differentlocation, since it is not possible to connect to the optimum networkaccess from the present location. Another measure could be to change thephysical interface.

The device described above makes it possible to analyze the networkaccess data from a plurality of telecommunication terminals and on thebasis of said data to determine an optimum network access, the selectionof said network access being independent of information from the networkaccess providers.

Bibliography:

-   [1] WO 02/41580 A1-   [2] U.S. Pat. No. 6,275,470 B1

1. A method for selecting network access to at least one data networkusing a telecommunication terminal device comprising: thetelecommunication terminal device selecting access to a first network;the telecommunication terminal device connecting to the first network;the telecommunication terminal device determining a location of thetelecommunication terminal device with the aid of the first network; thetelecommunication terminal device recording and saving quality ofservice information for the first network while connected to the firstnetwork; the telecommunication terminal device saving location datacomprised of information relating to the determined location; thetelecommunication terminal device linking the saved location data to therecorded and saved quality of service information for the first network;the telecommunication terminal device disconnecting from the firstnetwork; the telecommunication terminal device determining that aplurality of networks are available, the available networks comprisingthe first network and at least one second network; the telecommunicationterminal device analyzing the saved quality of service information andsaved location data for the first network to select access to one of thefirst network and a second network of the at least one second network;the telecommunication terminal device selecting access to one of thefirst network and the second network of the at least one second network;and the telecommunication terminal device connecting to the selectedfirst network or the second network of the at least one second network;and wherein the telecommunication terminal device determines thelocation of the telecommunication terminal device and performs thelinking of the saved location data while the telecommunication terminaldevice is connected to the first network; and wherein the analyzing ofthe saved quality of service information for the first network to selectaccess to the first network or the second network of the at least onesecond network considers the location information linked to the recordedand saved quality of service information for the first network.
 2. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the telecommunication terminal device is oneof a mobile radio terminal, a computer, and a laptop and the analyzingof the saved quality of service information for the first network toselect access to the first network or the second network of the at leastone second network is based on an analysis method that depends upon atleast one user defined parameter.
 3. A method for selecting networkaccess to at least one data network using a telecommunication terminaldevice comprising: the telecommunication terminal device selectingaccess to a first network; the telecommunication terminal deviceconnecting to the first network; the telecommunication terminal devicerecording and saving quality of service information for the firstnetwork; the telecommunication terminal device saving location datacomprised of location information relating to a determined location ofthe telecommunication terminal device while connected to the firstnetwork, wherein the telecommunication terminal device determines thedetermined location of the telecommunication terminal device and linksthe saved location data while the telecommunication terminal device isconnected to the first network; the telecommunication terminal devicedisconnecting from the first network; a plurality of networks beingavailable, the networks comprising the first network and at least onesecond network; the telecommunication terminal device analyzing thesaved quality of service information for the first network to selectaccess to one of the first network and a second network of the at leastone second network, wherein the analyzing of the saved quality ofservice information for the first network to select access to the firstnetwork or the second network of the at least one second networkconsiders the location information linked to the recorded and savedquality of service information for the first network; thetelecommunication terminal device communicating with at least one othertelecommunication terminal device to obtain quality of serviceinformation for the at least one second network for use in determiningwhich network to select; the telecommunication terminal device selectingaccess to one of the first network and the second network of the atleast one second network; and the telecommunication terminal deviceconnecting to the selected second network or the selected first network.4. The method of claim 3 wherein the telecommunication terminal deviceis one of a mobile radio terminal, a computer, and a laptop and the atleast one other telecommunication terminal device is within apredetermined distance of the telecommunication terminal device.
 5. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the telecommunication terminal device isconfigured to communicate the saved quality of service information forthe first network to other telecommunication terminal devices.
 6. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the analyzing of the saved quality of serviceinformation for the first network accounts for at least one interface ofthe telecommunication terminal device.
 7. The method of claim 6 whereinthe second network of the at least one second network is selected afterthe analyzing of the saved quality of service information and savedlocation data.
 8. The method of claim 1 wherein the telecommunicationterminal device is a mobile radio telecommunication terminal.
 9. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising the telecommunication terminaldevice analyzing costs or charges associated with access to each secondnetwork for use in determining which of the first network and the secondnetwork of the at least one second network to select.
 10. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the analyzing of the saved quality of serviceinformation for the first network to select access to the first networkor the second network of the at least one second network is based on ananalysis method that depends upon at least one network access qualityparameter and at least one account parameter.
 11. The method of claim 10wherein the at least one account parameter is comprised of at least oneparameter dependent upon a selected video application.
 12. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising storing the quality of service informationfor the first network on a central computer.
 13. The method of claim 1further comprising updating the stored quality of service informationfor the first network.
 14. The method of claim 1 wherein the selectingof access to the first network or the second network of the at least onesecond network is determined based upon telecommunication terminaldevice location requirements needed for access to the second network ofthe at least one second network.
 15. The method of claim 14 furthercomprising a navigation system of the telecommunication terminal devicecommunicating directions on how to get to a location needed for accessto the second network of the at least one second network.
 16. Atelecommunication terminal device comprising: at least one interface forconnecting to at least one network; a monitor module connected to the atleast one interface, the monitor module configured to monitor a qualityof a network connection between the telecommunication terminal deviceand a network when the telecommunication terminal device is connected tothe network; a reputation repository module connected to the monitormodule, the reputation repository module configured to retain quality ofnetwork connection information monitored by the monitor module; aconnection analysis module connected to the reputation repositorymodule, the connection analysis module configured to analyze networkconnection information retained in the reputation repository module; anda connection management module connected to the connection analysismodule, the connection management module configured to use data analyzedin the connection analysis module to determine an accessible network toselect for connection to a network; and the telecommunication terminaldevice configured to determine a location of the telecommunicationterminal device when connected to the network and link that locationwith saved quality of network connection information such that theconnection analysis module can access and evaluate the locationinformation when analyzing network connection information; wherein thetelecommunication terminal device determines the location and performslinking of the saved location information while the telecommunicationterminal device is connected to the network; and wherein thetelecommunication terminal analyzes the retained quality of networkconnection information for the network to select access to the networkor another network and considers the location information linked to theretained quality of network connection information for the network toselect the accessible network to which to connect.
 17. Thetelecommunication terminal device of claim 16 wherein the connectionmanagement module is configured to process all potential combinations ofthe interfaces and available network access providers to use todetermine an optimum network access to select for connection to thatnetwork.
 18. The telecommunication terminal device of claim 16 furthercomprising: a reputation information client module connected to theconnection analysis module, the reputation information client moduleconfigured to direct communications with other telecommunicationterminal devices to obtain network access information that the othertelecommunication terminal devices have stored; and the connectionanalysis module configured to access the network access information thatthe other telecommunication terminal devices have stored that wereobtained by the reputation information client module.
 19. Thetelecommunication terminal device of claim 18 wherein the reputationinformation client module is connected to the reputation repositorymodule and wherein the telecommunication terminal device and the othertelecommunication terminal devices are devices selected from the groupconsisting of mobile telephones, mobile radio terminals, and laptops.20. The telecommunication terminal device of claim 19 further comprisinga localizing module connected to the reputation repository module, thelocalizing module configured to determine the location of thetelecommunication terminal device with the aid of the network, the dataof the determined location also being stored in the reputationrepository module.